Laying Down the Law…In Fashion and Style!

It’s All About the Dress

Last Sunday, I had the fortune of meeting one of my favorite people in the fashion world, Randy Fenoli. Randy has been inspiring women of all ages prepare for their wedding day on TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress. I have always admired his passion, enthusiasm, and dedication to making others feel special.

The Houston Bridal Extravaganza Show is one of the biggest wedding events in the US and for good reason. The George R. Brown Convention Center is literally filled to the brim with everything from dance lessons to, of course, the wedding dress.

While I may not be preparing for a wedding, I have given advice to a fair share of brides (37 to be exact). I was so excited to hear Randy speak about everything from building confidence to finding the best styles for your body type. Promoting his book It’s All About the Dress, Randy talked about the importance of highlighting and featuring “real women”. Virtually every bridal photo shoot in mainstream media highlights brides ranging from sizes 0-4, but Randy features women of all shapes and sizes in his book, including one lucky lady from Houston.

There were two especially poignant moments for me during his talk. First, I was amazed by the struggles he conquered to get to where he is today. We often see successful people and assume that they had a cake walk to the top. He reminded his captivated audience of the importance of recognizing that everyone has a back story that may not be so evident, but those trying and difficult facts are molding us and shaping us for the unexpected. I was quite surprised to learn that when TLC first approached him about Say Yes to the Dress, his first reaction was to say “no”. My second highlight of the day was his emphasis on his three E’s:

Educate

Elevate

Empower

The second “E” especially spoke to me. Whether you are getting married or not, one of the biggest and most important challenges we face is finding ways to elevate ourselves. I think this is especially challenging for women. He goes through each “E” in detail in his book, and I highly recommend you snag a copy!

As I absolutely love Randy (even more so after witnessing his hilarious and self-deprecating talk), I naturally jumped to be the first in line to meet (and hug) him. I had to ask what tips he had to elevate to help in self-elevation. His answer? Trust your instincts and don’t beat yourself down.

thanks ms a.legal..i like him and the show also..never had an actual wedding or wedding dress (and, i know me..it would have had to have other uses!) but i enjoy watching everyone else..and his message sounds good..

He’s definitely a character! i haven’t had a wedding myself, but it was really interesting (and rather hillarious at times) hearing some of the stories he shared that were not aired on the show. I was surprised at his focus on self-confidence vs. the dress. it was refreshing.

HOLY. Must have really been wonderful to have met him! His designs are truly amazing and so pretty; makes me wanna get married so I can wear one of his magical creations haha. You look lovely as well Mira; your plaid dress is the cutest thing ever!